Back to the 1950s: New Jersey beach town museum offers retro thrills for pinball fans

Reuters

Published Aug 16, 2022 06:08PM ET

Updated Aug 17, 2022 05:22AM ET

ASBURY PARK, New Jersey (Reuters) - The Silverball Retro Arcade, a low-slung building along the boardwalk in New Jersey beach town Asbury (NYSE:ABG) Park, is not your typical museum.

It's home to more than 150 fully functional pinball machines, some dating from the 1950s, where fans can go back in time -- and, in some cases, relive their childhood.

"Growing up as a kid, me and my old man, he used to love all kinds of old stuff, and this is just something that reminds me of him," said 24-year-old William Mena. "He's not around anymore, so I come here and I play and it brings back memories from the past. We used to play arcade games over in Seaside (on the Jersey Shore). It's just the way I like it."

On a breezy day in Asbury Park, made famous by rocker Bruce Springsteen, pinging and popping sounds could be heard from the arcade.

"It's like a treat for the senses," said 48-year-old Raffi Abelson, playing on one of the oldest pinball machines from the 1950s. "It's physical. You can touch it, it feels very different than a video game. You can really experience it."

The pinball museum opened in 2009. Before then, co-founder Robert Ilvento's daughter, who has autism, really loved playing pinball, so Ilvento, 57 started collecting pinball machines and built a collection. His longtime friend and business partner, restaurant owner Steve Zuckerman, also had a pinball machine collection. They combined their collections, and Silverball Retro Arcade was born.

"Even for all of us, and for young people now, it is a very tactile game," said Patty Barber, the museum's senior vice president. "All of these different arcade games ... you really have to use all your senses."